Palma's deputy mayor and councillor for tourism, Javier Bonet, has responded angrily to opposition claims that the city's budget for tourism promotion is to increase by 16% in 2025.
The spokesperson for PSOE, Xisco Ducrós, observed that Bonet of the Partido Popular was "living on another planet", suggesting that he had ignored the protests against overtourism. Then speaking about the mayor, Jaime Martínez, Ducrós said that, despite a speech on tourist saturation, "the first decision to have been taken is to increase the budget for tourism promotion".
Bonet insisted on Friday that there had been no increase. "I haven't come across it and I would like to be told where it comes from." He added that funds for all tourism policies in 2025 would in fact be 2,500 euros lower than in 2024; for example, 100,000 euros for renovating tourist information offices in 2024 will not be in the 2025 budget. "But the left believes that an increase has been masked through other items."
He accepted that there had been an increase to the budget for the Palma 365 Tourism Foundation - 295,000 euros on top of an existing 1.3 million. However, this was primarily to cover salaries and office maintenance. "Obviously there is some money for promotion, but it can be done in many ways.
"Promotion is not only about attracting more tourists. It also serves to select the type of tourist that is wanted. The Foundation was created precisely for this purpose and not to undertake general promotion as had been done previously."
The increased budget for the Foundation will come from municipal budget surpluses. It will be used, for instance, to finance a sponsorship deal for Palma Futsal, a campaign for the American market and extra funds for the Cycling Challenge. In addition, it also includes a study on the impact of cruise ships that will serve as a basis for decision-making regarding cruise tourism in Palma.